Barista Connect with Sonja
We speak to Sonja Zweidick, founder of Barista Connect, the coffee network dedicated to empowering and inspiring women
Tell us about your career journey so far.
I’ve been living and working with coffee in Aarhus, Denmark, for the past ten years. I’m originally from Heimschuh, Austria. My hometown is a cozy small town 30 km south of Graz. I didn’t have a clear idea as to what I wanted to pursue for a living while growing up. However I always had a vision and desire to be involved in something social and creative. I guess this is what lead me towards hospitality originally.
Shortly after I moved from Austria to Denmark I had an eye-opening experience at a coffee event, and here my curiosity for and fascination with specialty coffee was reignited. I immediately realized how different and delicious coffee can taste. Espresso was suddenly so sweet and balanced, full of flavours, revealing a quality of acidity that I had never experienced before. Cappuccinos were suddenly so creamy in texture and flavoursome! This opened up a whole new world of coffee, and set me on my path to becoming a professional within this new and dynamic industry.
We always structure the events around the speakers.
I have just recently started a new chapter in my career as a freelance Barista and Roaster. As my inaugural female coffee network, Barista Connect, gets more established I really look forward to having more time on my hands to invest in the network and the events.
Where did the idea of Barista Connect come from?
At the WBC you can’t help but feel inspired by all the competitors both male and female. However, it became evident that men mainly dominate the competition. I’ve never felt uncomfortable around all the amazing male baristas competing, but I started to think more about the current lack of women competing.
After returning to Aarhus from WBC in Seattle, I started to think more about how fortunate I’ve been to have the chance to compete and how amazing it would be to stand next to more women in the competition practice area in the future. It was a very modest idea and simple to begin with. Let’s create a meeting point, invite women to come along and connect. We simply wanted them to share ideas, network and hopefully start new friendships which could act as support and inspiration in the future. I’m confident we got the ball rolling in a positive direction in that regard. The event last year was a success because we had plenty of very enthusiastic attendees who came to be a part of something special. We also had amazing guest speakers whom I can’t thank enough for volunteering their time and believing in our cause.
I feel women are underrepresented primarily due to a lack of women role models. It is evident from our first Barista Connect and from speaking with many people that a lot of passionate women in coffee are left without someone they can relate to, be inspired by, and look up to.
What is the added value of women in developing the coffee industry?
A more diverse field. I founded Barista Connect because I was concerned with the fact that in the coffee world, whether or not you are employed in the industry or standing on the other side of the counter as a customer, you are more often than not being exposed to and hearing about ideas related to coffee from a male’s perceptive. I feel this creates a significant lack of diversity.
In the coffee world you are more often than not being exposed to and hearing about ideas related to coffee from a male’s perceptive.
How was the first event that you organised?
The event in Aarhus 2015 was a great success.
Last year several new rules in the barista competitions were published. Because of the changes, our first event focused on competition. When we put together the programme, we considered which speakers would contribute with diverse aspects and angles on the subject. At the same time our aim was to find a balance between inspiring talks from guest speakers, hands-on skill improvement and open discussions. We always structure the events around the speakers we find interesting as well as the themes they would like to cover.
When’s the next Barista Connect event?
It’s taking place in Vienna from the 2–4 August. We will be discussing topics related to current trends and new ideas in specialty coffee. Our programmes provide opportunities for our attendees to be at the forefront of what is happening in the industry from a female perspective.
You’re the Danish Barista Champion; it would be remiss of us not to ask for your daily coffee recipe….
To be honest I rarely brew coffee at home. In the mornings and evenings I actually prefer tea because of its calming qualities. During my daily routine I often have plenty of coffee. Right now I am practising for the WBC in Seoul, and in this process I find myself brewing and tasting significantly more coffee than I prepare for myself. When I occasionally do brew coffee at home it’s most likely an AeroPress. I use 16g of coffee for 200g of water and a brew time of around 1 minute. Currently this is my favorited brew method for African coffees such as Munyinya from Burundi.
Tickets for this week’s events can be purchased at the Barista Connect website: baristaconnect.com
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